Cleomaceae are a small family of flowering plants in the order Brassicales, comprising about 300 species in 10 genera. These genera were previously included in the family Capparaceae, but were raised to a distinct family when DNA evidence suggested that the genera included in it are more closely related to Brassicaceae than they are to Capparaceae. The APG II system allows for Cleomaceae to be included in Brassicaceae.
The genera in Cleomaceae include:
- Cleome
- Cleomella
- Dactylaena
- Haptocarpum
- Oxystylis
- Podandrogyne
- Polanisia
- Wislizenia
Recent DNA studies have failed to separate Cleome, Podandrogyne and Polanisia from each other, so some taxonomists have abandoned the last two of these genera, treating them as part of Cleome sensu lato.